| Volunteer Spotlight |
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Ken Hart (Friends Steering Committee Member) Ken grew up in the Connecticut suburbs, within walking distance of fields and forests where he spent many happy hours. He earned a degree in psychology from Colby College and found time to explore the Maine coast and the beauty of New England winters. His distinguished career at the Social Security Administration culminated as a manager over a group that supported human resources systems and management information for the entire agency. In retirement, Ken plans to continue his dedicated service as a board member of the Audubon Society of Central Maryland, to care for his own land, and to walk often in the nearby Patapsco Valley Park (with his yellow Labrador!). Ken is a 2012 graduate of the Howard County Legacy Leadership Institute who believes strongly in the education and community outreach missions of the Foundation and the Nature Center and sees his volunteer work as a way to make a difference for the environment and our future. Loreen Heinz (Friends Steering Committee Member) Loreen grew up in Cleveland, Ohio as a city girl, but one who loved the outdoors. As a child she visited vacant lots and brought home grasshoppers, small butterflies, and other insects in Mason jars and enjoyed picnics with her family in the emerald necklace of parks surrounding Cleveland. After graduating from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, she earned a master's degree from Loyola University, Baltimore and taught English to American teenagers those from other countries. In retirement she wanted to combine her joy in working with teens and her love of nature. The Robinson Nature Center seemed the right place. Loreen is a 2011 graduate of the HoLLIE program and recruited teen volunteers prior to the Nature Center's opening. She will be serving on the Steering Committee for the Friends of the Robinson Nature Center. Barbara Siddle Matheson (Volunteer Outreach Coordinator) Barbara is a psychologist with a Ph.D. from Arizona State University. She grew up in Cody, Wyoming, where she loved spotting elk, deer, and moose while riding horseback in the Rocky Mountain foothills, and picnicking with her family in Yellowstone Park. Teen years enjoying Texas meadows and woodlands reinforced her need for a wild home when she moved to Maryland in 1980. She found it on the bank of the Middle Patuxent River. Her children grew up downstream from Anne Robinson’s land, and Barb taught them to love their shared river. Work with the Robinson Foundation gives her the opportunity to extend her psychological practice of encouraging people to appreciate the healing and affirming power of the outdoors. Like Anne Robinson, she wants to “build bridges between people and nature.” Sara Rabe (Green Footprint Award Coordinator) |